THE BEATLES

ORAL PRESENTATION - THE BEATLES

Hi everybody, my name’s Helena, and today I’m going to talk about a famous music band of the twentieth century, which is “The Beatles”. In order to explain all the main things of this band, I’m going to follow some parts: first, I will talk about an introduction and the history of this band, then I will tell you about their fame in UK and also in the USA, and finally I will talk about their last years and their division.

Intro/ History

The Beatles was a rock band which was created in Liverpool on 1960. It was formed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. At the beginning they start by playing rock and roll of the fifty’s and skiffle, which is a kind of folk music influenced by the jazz and the blues. But during over their career they interpreted also folk rock and psychedelic rock songs.

The Beatles fame increased as their songs was becoming more sophisticated, and that’s why they created a trend called “beatlemania”. Also they were perceived like the incarnation of progressive ideals and their influence was extended to the social and cultural revolutions of the epoch.

They started playing in bars and clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg and on 1962 they get commercial success with their first single “Love me do”. Then they start to get international fame doing a lot of tours until 1966, when they started to work only recording songs and then on 1970 they separated to continue with the music but solo.

The Beatles’ fame in the UK

On 1963 they released the album “Please please me” and it got the number one in the Britain lists. Then they published their third single, called “From me to you” and it got the first number in the lists too, and afterward they got records of the most sold albums in the UK.

During the first half of 1963 they did three tours in Britain, and as their popularity was increasing, it appeared a big adulation to them, so they were always received with great enthusiasm wherever they went.

Finally, a music critical of the United Kingdom, William Mann, said that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the most noticed English compositors of 1963.

The Beatle’s fame in the USA

When The Beatles left UK on 1964, approximately four thousand fans were hiding as the plane took off. The single “I want to hold your hand” had sold two million copies in UK, but they didn’t know how they will be received on the United States. When they arrived in New York there were three million people waiting for them.

Their first actuation in USA was on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, which was a famous tv program; and then, they start tours around different states. Afterwards, they started again a “Beatlemania” in the United States, and that’s why they caused the British invasion, which made a lot of music bands of UK went to USA to play their songs and get the fame as The Beatles.

People always received them with a lot of enthusiasm, but on 1970 they separated themselves.

Their division

Their troubles started when they saw the bad reaction of the people because of a comment that Lennon did a month ago telling that the religion was getting worse and that The Beatles was more famous than Jesus Christ.

After some good publications, as “yellow submarine” people who investigated The Beatles lyrics saw anti-authority and anti-system messages.

Also, Epstein, their manager died because of emotional problems and in this moment was when the four men saw that the end of The Beatles was close to them.

At last I have to notice that their last album was “Let it be” and their last single was “I me mine”.

Conclusion

To conclude my oral presentation, I would say that I’ve chosen this topic because I love the music, and I think that The Beatles is one the most important music bands, because a lot of artists and music bands like, Oasis or Coldplay are influenced by The Beatles music.

VIDEO:

REFLECTION ABOUT IT

In one hand, in my oral presentation I use a power point which was simple and visual, but I think that it’s better.

I think that for this topic it is not necessary to put all the information that I found, so just the main things which people can care about this music band.
My time was short, but I think that I have time to explain all the important things that I wanted to explain; but it is true that maybe, I talked a little quickly.

When I have seen my video, I have noticed that I looked quite at my audience, sometimes, when I forgot something that I had to say, I had a look at my notes, but not much times.
I think I did some gestures, but sometimes, it is difficult to talk like when you’re talking with a friend, for example.

In my presentation I included enough information, and the most interesting information that I found; cause sometimes, when in an oral presentation you talk about too things, often the audience gets bored, and then, they don’t remember about nothing.

The vocabulary and the grammar that I used were simple, because I found imformation abaout The Beatles, and then, I explained what I understanded. Also I think it was correct and good pronounced, but I recognize that there’s always something that can be better.

Maybe, the worse thing that I did was talk too fast. But as I’ve seen in my video, I used a good intonation; I spoke fluidly and without interruptions.

EAST 43RD STREET

Can you summarize the book in two minutes?

Nathan Marley, an old-fashioned private investigator and the main character, lives in a important place of New York city, which is the 43rd street, next to the popular Chrysler building.

The story begins with Nathan Marley sitting in McFadden’s Bar six days before Christmas. He sees a beautiful, expensively-dressed woman with huge diamonds. Marley decides to follow her but he loses her in the crowd.

But in the morning he sees her in his office, because unfortunately he had been selected by her and her husband as a fall guy for their devious plan. So, Angela Lake (the rich woman) says to Nat that he have to reclaim a briefcase of jewelery from a locker at Grand Central Station, but this jewelery were’nt there, so it was a lie.

But he was not so stupid as they had imagined, so he don’t trust the woman, and he contact sneak with some people that can help him, such as a member of the NYPD because he sees that is involved in a case of criminal activity involving fraud, computer hacking and kidnap.

At last, they get Angela told the truth about the story, so she told that, they didn’t have got the jewelry, and the ones they had weren’t real, so they were expensively-dressing and wore jewelry because people wouldn’t suspect about their debts.

Is there a mystery sentence or a mystery point in the story?

If I have to chose a mystery point in this story, I will chose the part where Angela Lake confess that the jewelry that they have got aren’t real and that the ones they were are false. So I think that this is an important moment, or sentence, because the argument of this book, and the problems that are the center of the story, begin because of the jewelry and because of the wealth of the Lakes.

When and where does the story take place?

I think that that’s obvious because the title of the book is east 43^rd street, so it happens in New York City. We can especially notice places like the fifth avenue, known by the Empire State building, McFadden’s Bar, which is also in the 43^rd street, and the Grand Central.

The time when the story takes place doesn’t appear, but we can situate it now, maybe few years ago, but not much. So we know that it starts on a cold evening of December, three days before Christmas.

Who are the main characters in the story? What’s their role?

Nat (Nathan Marley) is the main one, so he is an old-fashioned private investigator which has always had the ordinary work for an investigator, but in this story he have got to be involved in a very complicate case, because a rich couple of New York has lied him. He shows his intelligence when he doesn’t trust Angela Lake investigate first her case.

Angela Lake, when Nat first see her, seems a very rich and beautiful woman, who is expensively-dressed and who have got special legs that Nat cannot forget. But then, when Nat investigates her case, at the end of the book, Nat discover that Angela Lake is a dangerous woman who is involved in a case of criminal activity with her husband.

Robert Lake is Angela’s husband. He is more dangerous, so Angela is, in some way, his servant because is always involved in his problems related to the kidnap, the computer hacking, etc. Robert is a very dangerous man, so he is intelligent and he uses his intelligence to make fraud, kidnap and computer hacking.

Stella is the Nat’s secretary. She always worried about him when he is involved in dangerous cases. Stella knows all about Nat and she tries to help him whenever she can; so Nat is very proud of her.

Choose one character (main or secondary) and describe him/her.

Nathan is the main character. He is an old-fashioned private investigator who lives in New York. He is a little pessimistic, so he explains that he goes often to a pub called McFadden’s bar in order to forget all his troubles by drinking beer. He doesn’t seems to be very rich, so he describes his office like an small place and he dreams of having his office in the Chrysler Building. Especially at the end of the story he shows that he is intelligent and that he don’t want to be in troubles, so he prefers his ordinary work , such as resolving divorce cases or things like that.

Can you identify with any character? Why?

No, I think that’s impossible in this kind of story, so here the characters haven’t got a lot of importance. Here the most important is the action, and the characters aren’t much described. But I have to say, that in reference to the moment wen Nat is about being deceived, I would also called sneak the police because of not being arrested.

Choose your favourite moment in the story.

My favourite moment here is maybe the end, when Nat is about dying, and finally Angela Lake tells the truth. But I have to say that I don’t like this kind of stories, so I prefer the parts where the narrator describes the city and the streets where the story take place.

Which new key words have you learnt to understand the story?

Crowd, manner, kidnap, strength, line-up, headquarters, jail, fee...

Provide an alternative ending.

Angela Lake, the beautiful woman, fall in love with Nat (Nathan Marley), so she can’t hide more what’s happening. She tells him the truth, she tells him that her ex-husband Robert Lake has been involved in lots of kidnaps and computer hacking and that she was involved strength too. Then Nat and Angela give proof at the NYPD and they arrest Robert Lake. So my ending finishes with the Angela and Nat’s wedding and their honey moon in Turkey.

Would you recommend this book? Why?

Personally, I would recommend this book only to those persons who really like the thrillers, and the action stories; because it has disappointed me, so when I chose it, the first I noticed was the cover and I like it a lot, I thought that it would be a different story set in New York, but I think that I would have like a different kind of book. But I know that there are people interested in this kind of stories ¿Why not?

FORMAL LETTER

C/ El rentador 4
Castelló d'Empúries
14th April 2011

Mr John
Director of the NuclearPower Association
London
UK

Dear Mr Ritch,

I am a young student from the high school IES Castelló d'Empúries. I have lived here since 2000 and luckily there aren't nuclear power stations near to my town. After the events in Japan, I will be worried.

I don't agree that the other countries should be put in danger because of the nuclear power, because I know that it can make people's living conditoins worse.

However, I do understand that we need the power created by nuclear power stations. I'm strongly in favor with the idea of revising all the nuclear power stations to prevent the bad consequences that a non-safe facility can cause. I hope you take action to solve these kinds of problems which are causing health problems amongst human and animals. We do not want another disaster like Japan.

I hope you agree with my letter.

I look forward to what the plans for the nuclear power organitzation will be.


Yours sincerelly,

Helena Sánchez

JAMES BLUNT - Goodbye my lover

LYRICS

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your head.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child.
I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bare my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.







Comment on the Blunt's song

James Blunt is an English singer who was born in Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1974. He won two BRIT awards and was nominated three times at Grammy prices. His first album, called “Back to Bedlam” and other singles, such as thehit “You’re beautiful” were the ones which throw him to the fame in 2005. His style is influenced by the pop and the rock music. So, apart from sing, Blunt plays a lot of instruments, like the piano, the guitar and the organ. So I have to notice that he was the first British singer to get the number one in the USA lists, so also, his song “You’re beautiful” got the high position in the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006, so it’s important to notice that the last artist who did it, was Elton John in 1997 with the song “Candle in the Wind”.

The song that I've chosen to work on is one of my favourits of James Blunt, or at least, is the one that transmits me more sensations. I consider it a sad song, and sometimes, in depending on the situation that I listen to it, it makes me feel sad too. But I like this sensation, I like when a song is such as good that makes me understand the feelings that it wants to express.

It talks about a goodbye, so the subject talks about things that he have shared with his love/friend and says goodbye to her. It's a sad song because, he expresses a feeling which is common in our lives, when we have to say goodbye to someone that has been so important for us, so also, Blunt tells to his lover that she has been the one for him.

Finally, I will notice, that I give a lot of importance at the song's lyrics, and that's why I love this one.

If you want more information about this singer, you can visit his official site, which is full of interesting things, such as concert dates, photos and videos! James Blunt official site

Last months on the high shcool

As you know, we're right now on the last month here, so we have just started the third term and it's full of important exams. At the beginnig of the course I also thought that it would be serious, but it's now when I fell really frightened. When I started this term I thought that I wouls stufy a lot for each exam, but the days pass so fast and sometimes I'm too stressed to organize my time.


In a few days we will finish the course, then we will have to study for selectivity and then we will be about to decide our future. I'm frightened because I need a very good mark for the university studies that I want to do, and my marks aren't excellent, they are too irregular; I think that when I have to study I'm too influenced by my emotions and that's a problem, because I recognize that I can't concentrate.


I think that we've got a lot of pressure over us and, in some way, these final exams are the ones that are going to decide our future. I hope I will be able to study what I want, I will work hard for these last exams, because I have a problem: I don't know what I would study if I couldn't get the necessary mark for journalism.

UNFAITHFUL, a TV series.

Unfaithful is a TV series which talks, especially, about love, hate, lies, worries, mistakes, friendship and obviously, as its name shows, infidelity. This is a series which is presented by tv3 (Television de Catalunya); it started on the 26^th of March in 2009. At the beginning, first you think it is about being unfaithful to someone, but now, I've discovered that it talks also about being unfaithful to yourself, because the main characters make mistakes that have bad consequences, and these things make their relationships with families and partners worse .

The main characters (Joana, Paula, Lidia, Cruz and Arlet) are five friends who have got a close friendly relation, they know all about the others and they go together to many places, like the swimming pool, which is one of the spaces where we can see them all together talking, especially about their problems, worries and love relationships.

These five girls have got very different experiences and characters, but I have noticed that they've got also a lot of things in common:

Joana has got two children, and that makes her a more responsible woman, but she's a little insecure and she cares about what people say about her. At the beginning of the series, her husband is working in Buenos Aires, and she has noticed that he is in love with another woman, so she breaks her relationship and along the series she starts other relations, such as with Peter, who is a porn star.

Paula is the one who I identify with. She's got a bar, where she works every day, so that's why she knows a lot of interesting people. Paula is a "free soul" she doesn’t care about what people say about her and she sometimes forgets her best friends, who need her. At the end of the series, Paula has become a good writer. I have to notice, that at the start, Paula was married to Marc, but she broke up with him when she knew that Marc had cancer.

Lidia is a psychologist, who had always been so secure of herself, but she has had to overcome her husband's death and she has become a little insecure. Through the series she became a nymphomaniac and she has had some strange relationships.

Cruz is an economist who lives with her ex husband, who has become an homosexual, her fiancé and her daughter. Cruz has got a very patient character, so when she is about to get married with her future husband, she notices that he's being unfaithful to her, but she tries to go on with their relationship; but at the end, she is unfaithful to to him too and she's falling in love with the other man, Esteban.

Arlet is the youngest character. She has got a special character, maybe, I identify also with her because she's young and she sees love in a different way to her friends. She's a teacher and her character shows it, so she's also very patient, but on some occasions she seems to be a little childish. Also she is in a relationship with a boy, but she's, in secret, falling in love with a girl that she has met. At the end of the series, Arlet is pregnant, and her son will have two mothers, Arlet and Dani (Daniela).

Pros and cons of village life

Currently, I'm living in a village called Castelló d'Enpúries, but I've also lived in a small city, Figueres, and I have got the experience of living in both places.

So, now, I'm going to tell you some of the advantatges and disatvantadges that I've compared living first in a city and then in a village.
First of all, in a village the life is more tranquil, because there's always silence, there isn't any problems related to the traffic, any problem related to the noise, or to the pollution, which are things that are constant in the cities.

Another advantatge is that everybody knows each other and they treat you as if you were one of their family, and that's good, because when you are in a trouble and the others know it, they try to help you as soon as possible.
Also, I have to say that the relation between friends is better where they are form the same village as you, because you know they will be with you the most of your life and also, because all of them live near you.

In reference with the disadvantatges, sometimes you must go out to buy some things, for example the clothes. People who live in a town have always to go to the nearer city to buy clothes, to go to the supermarket or even to get some necessary thing for the shcool. So, in my case, when I need something urgent, I need to take a bus to go to Figueres, which is the nearest city next to Castelló d'Empúries.

Another disadvantatge is that there aren't many things to do, so in a city you can join many activities such as school or dance, in short, you can practise any sport you like. It's true that, living here, you can go to Ampuriabrava or maybe also Figueres, but until next year I won't have got car, and that's difficult.
Living here, in Castelló d'Empúries, the only remedy is to go futing where there weren't cars, or cycling, even on skates.